By: Natiece Ford In the early 1960s, Ralph Cooper and a group of friends decided to try their hand at football. Before tryouts could truly begin, the Worthing Junior High School football coach pulled the group aside and asked, “What do you all see out there?” The group replied, “A lot of guys trying out for the football team.” The coach responded, “No, a lot of great guys are trying out for the football team.” This marked the beginning of Ralph Cooper’s journey in sports writing, as he eventually became the historian for the team. However, this was not the first time he heard he would excel in the industry. As a young boy in Jewett, Texas, a rural area, he spent time with his grandmother, who often listened to the farm report. On one occasion, while they listened together, Cooper’s grandmother told him, “You can do that.” Although he did not heed her words at the time, the seed was planted for what would make Ralph Cooper a living legend. On April 9, 1968, Cooper at- tended the funeral of Dr. Mar- tin Luther King Jr. with his uncle, Rev. Benny Wilson. At that time, there was only one airport in Houston, and due to the nature of the event, all flights to Atlanta were booked. Unable to find anyone to ride with him, Cooper, despite his mother’s hesitation, decided to travel east through formidable southern territory with his un- cle. At 19, he was juggling two full-time jobs while attending school. During the funeral procession, he met four sisters whose father was a professor at Morehouse College. After learning that Cooper was not involved in the NAACP or SNCC, the eldest sister told him, “You aren’t doing nothing,” implying that his lack of involvement in civil rights organizations meant he was not in the fight. Her comment stuck with him. Back in Houston, while reading the Forward Times newspaper, Cooper noticed a small article advertising the paper’s need for writers. After three rounds of tough inter- views, he was hired in 1969— not for sports, but to cover […]
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